The Trajectory of Trumpism: Talking about Racism, Fascism, Civil War, and Beyond

Trumpism is a movement. It is also a way of speaking - one that now transcends the person for whom it is named. While the movement might be built on resentment, fear of ＂the other＂, and anti-democratic thinking more generally, the power of Trumpism -- the way that it has seeped into public discourse such that its most extreme ideas no longer seem shocking - is not in what is said, but how.

It operates on two levels. First it deploys lies, misinformation and conspiracy theories to demonize enemies. Second, it minimizes the extreme nature of its statements by making them seem normal, as common-sense political discourse. Most critically, Trumpism provides supporters with permission to deny reality while dehumanizing opponents.

In this book, Sanford Schram focuses specifically on three elements of the rhetorical style of Trumpism: gaslighting, boomeranging and coopting. Schram illustrates how Trumpism uses each of these linguistic moves to make claims about racism, fascism, civil war, and the criminal charges against Donald Trump. He concludes with projections about the future of Trumpism and appropriate responses to it.

Sanford F. Schram is Professor Emeritus in the Political Science Department at Hunter College, CUNY. He is also Adjunct Lecturer in Political Science at Stony Brook University, State University of New York (SUNY). Schram has published a number of books, including Words of Welfare (1995) and Disciplining the Poor (2011), co-authored with Joe Soss and Richard Fording, both of which received the Michael Harrington Best Book Award from the Caucus for a New Political Science (CNPS). Schram is a recipient of the CNPS Charles A. McCoy Career Achievement Award. His most recent book, co-authored with Richard Fording, is entitled Hard White: The Mainstreaming of Racism in American Politics (2020).